Scarab of the Nile
by dragoncymru
Summary: The TARDIS brings the Doctor and Katherine to Ancient Egypt where they encounter Queen Cleopatra. But an ancient cult is intent on releasing a danger that could destroy the entire Earth. The second story in Season 2 of 'TARDIS Adventures'.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

**Prologue**

The flickering torch cast dancing shadows over the stone walls as the high priest descended the steps. Ancient hieroglyphs that were carved into the rock were briefly illuminated as he passed. He reached the bottom of the steps and turned to face the assembled cult in the underground temple.

"It is time my brothers."

There were about a dozen figures standing in a circle around a dark pit that was edged with more hieroglyphs. Like the high priest, they all wore white tabards tied at the waist with hemp rope, and had bare feet. Hoods of white and good cloth obscured their faces.

The temple was circular in shape and shrouded in smoke from burning braziers and torches that hung from ornate brackets on the walls. The pungent smell of incense filled the air as the high priest walked towards the massive stone statue of an enormous beetle that dominated the temple.

In front of the beetle, stretched out on a low altar was a dark haired and olive skinned young woman. Dressed in a white shroud, she struggled against the bonds that held her arms and legs, but to no avail. Her elaborately made up eyes were wide with fear as the high priest approached.

Kneeling before the altar and the statue, the high priest lowered his head, stretched out his arms and breathed in slowly. Then, after a moment's pause, he threw his head back and got to his feet again. Reaching down, he took a powder from a golden platter next to the woman's head and cast it into a stone basin in front of him. The powder ignited with a brilliant yellow flame as the priest turned.

"Take her!" he commanded, and two of the figures moved forwards, picking up the struggling captive who squealed in terror. One carrying her feet, the other her shoulders, they brought her to the edge of the pit as the other members of the cult knelt at the edges.

"Cast her in!"

The two men threw the woman forward and she disappeared into the blackness with a lingering scream.

From the bottom of the pit came the sound of a dreadful clicking and chittering as she was ripped apart and devoured by something in the darkness.

The high priest raised his hands in supplication to the stone statue, his eyes blazing with feverish triumph. "The Cult of Khepri will be reborn!"

**1.**

In the twisting miasma that was the Time Vortex, the TARDIS appeared in a flash of blue light, tumbling over and over in the dark. It spun for a moment as if getting its bearings, and then, with a swirling kaleidoscope of shimmering colour flaring around it, vanished again.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor was hunched over the central console, idly flicking switches, his chin resting in his hand. Above him the huge crystal and glass time rotor rose and fell steadily like the beat of a heart. The lights in the console were dim and low, the huge curving walls in shadow, the indented roundels glowing softly with emerald light. It was strange how the TARDIS instinctively knew the mood of the Doctor and his companions.

The inner door opened and Katherine de Gallois entered. She had changed out of her normal fashionable attire and was dressed simply yet elegantly in a gold and blue silk tunic and wore gold sandals on her feet. Her hair was braided with gold and she wore intricate golden bracelets on her forearms. Her naturally beauty was accentuated with elaborate dark make up that made her brown eyes seem like dusky pools.

Yet her face was sad.

The Doctor turned to Katherine and grinned appreciatively. "You look incredible!"

Katherine returned his grin with a much smaller smile. "Thank you," she said simply as she came to stand next to the Doctor by the console. "I know just you're trying to take my mind off Zoe."

The Doctor nodded gently. "Guilty as charged. We won't forget her Katherine. Her bravery saved both our lives and probably every living Cheem in the colony. She was brilliant."

There was a slight pause. "You haven't even told me where we're going," said Katherine lightly.

"I know," replied the Doctor with a grin, "but trust me, you'll love it!"

He had hardly finished speaking when the central column of light gently slowed to a halt accompanied by the familiar wheezing and groaning of the TARDIS materialising.

The Doctor checked the controls and then with a grin pulled a lever and the TARDIS doors opened.

Katherine stepped from the TARDIS into a market square and a wave of heat. In the far distance on the horizon were massive stone pyramids that stood from the sandy desert.

The Doctor stood besides her and threw his arms wide. "Welcome to Ancient Egypt!"

**2**.

Katherine gasped at the incredible vista before her.

The TARDIS has landed in the shadows of a canopy just next to a market square that was teeming and bustling with all kinds of Egyptian life. Hawkers and traders competed with each other to sell their wares to anyone that passed their stalls. Older men sat and smoked and drank on huge cushions under a billowing canvas that shaded them from the Sun's oppressive heat. Children ran and laughed amongst the adults. Dogs barked, chickens clucked, and cattle lowed as they were gently nudged through the market.

Then there were the smells: cooked meats, sweat, animals, perfumes and spices that were mixed together to form a strong and exotic aroma that Katherine would never forget.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Alexandria in the time of the Pharaohs," smiled the Doctor looking around him with interest.

"That explains why you wanted me to change into this," said Katherine indicating her gold and blue tunic. Katherine had loved history, and fashion was a particular interest of hers.

"Absolutely. Don't want to stand out do we?"

Katherine rolled her eyes. "No, of course not," she replied, her tongue firmly in her cheek.

The Doctor had left his usual long brown coat and his suit jacket in the TARDIS and just sported an open necked cream shirt with his trousers and white sneakers. He never really seemed to be affected by the different climates, which was more than could be said for her. Even though she had only stood in the marketplace for a minute, the Sun beat down on her, making her feel like she was wrapped in a warm blanket. A trickle of sweat ran down her back and she breathed slowly through her mouth, feeling the hot air in her lungs. She was amazed how all these people could stand it, but, of course, they were used to it.

"Fancy taking a look around?" the Doctor asked, and Katherine nodded eagerly.

They walked slowly through the marketplace, the Doctor holding Katherine's hand tightly and all too aware of the appreciative looks she was getting from many of the men that they passed.

But it wasn't the appreciative gazes of the market traders that should have concerned the Doctor.

They were being watched from the shadows by a beady pair of eyes - a pair of eyes that had witnessed the arrival of a blue box from the Gods.

**3.**

The Doctor paused at one of the market stalls and picked up two palm leaves that were folded to contain a mixture of dates and figs. He dug around in his pocket before finding a coin, examined it briefly and then with a surprised expression on his face, tossed it to the market trader. He handed a leaf to Katherine and they walked away. "I suppose a Euro could be worth a fortune in a few hundred years," mused the Doctor a little guiltily, munching on a fig.

Katherine smiled mischievously as she unfolded the palm leaf, popped a date into her mouth and chewed appreciatively. "These are delicious."

The Doctor still had a mouthful of figs so nodded and mumbled a reply, red juice trickling down his chin.

Suddenly there was the sound of a brass trumpet. Ahead of them Katherine could see that the crowd had parted as a platoon of bare-chested Egyptian troops marched through the street surrounding an expensive litter that was borne aloft by six black skinned slaves. The litter was contained by a purple silk curtain, hiding the occupant within.

The Doctor suddenly grinned from ear to ear. "Oh fantastic!" he cried and started to move towards the litter, absent-mindedly giving the palm leaf of food to an old beggar who sat dejectedly at the side of the street.

Katherine looked on worriedly as he approached. The soldiers instantly barred his way with long, vicious looking spears, but the Doctor seemed totally unabashed. "I beg an audience with the Queen!"

One of the guards raised his spear threateningly. "Move aside dog," he snarled, "or we'll feed your gizzard to the vultures!"

The Doctor didn't flinch, but after a moment, and much to Katherine's amazement, the curtain of the litter was drawn back. She heard a regal female voice exclaim delightedly from within. "Doctor, is it you?"

The Doctor grinned and bowed. "It is your Majesty." He stepped back and Katherine peered inside the litter. Stretched out on purple silk cushions was a stunningly beautiful woman, perhaps in her early thirties, with olive skin, long braided dark hair and elaborate make-up. She was dressed in a shimmering and brilliant gold white gown that left her right shoulder bare and was slit up the side to reveal shapely legs.

The Doctor turned to Katherine. "Katherine, may I present Queen Cleopatra of all Egypt and the Nile!"

**4.**

Hasan hurried through the sweltering marketplace and then down some smaller, quieter streets that were more shaded by the tall stone and mud buildings on each side. He paused to check that he was not being observed as he slipped into a covered alley. He had to find one of the tunnels that led to the temple.

He knew that his master would want to know of the messengers from the Heavens.

The Doctor chuckled as he took another appreciative sip of his wine. He relaxed back on the enormous silk cushion and popped another grape into his mouth. Close to him, Katherine lounged on another cushion and talked and laughed with Cleopatra who reclined gracefully on more cushions on a raised regal couch.

He watched them with amusement. The two women, both elegant and beautiful, talked animatedly like two sisters or best friends who were catching up on news and gossip. They had taken to each other at once, Katherine immediately recovering some of her aristocratic graces from her own upbringing.

The Palace at Alexandria was truly magnificent and the large chamber where they sat, covered with marble and gold, was equally as breathtaking. Huge and ornate pillars reached up to the ceiling whilst bass relief and exquisitely decorated images of hieroglyphs and pharaohs decorated the walls. In the corner of the chamber and recessed into the floor surrounded by mosaic, was a warm bath of water and milk.

Several Nubian slaves waved large ostrich-feathered fans whilst others stood a respectable distance away, ready to offer any assistance their Queen required. Two bald and well-muscled guards stood at the chambers only doorway.

Cleopatra raised an eyebrow, a suggestive smile on her lips and a twinkle in her beautiful dark eyes. "Your companion does you great credit Doctor."

The Doctor inclined his head. "Thank you your Majesty." He had visited Ancient Egypt many times of course, but this was his third meeting with Cleopatra. After their last encounter, the Doctor considered the Queen one of his 'more important' friends.

Cleopatra leant across to Katherine and whispered something into her ear, never taking her eyes from the Doctor's face.

Katherine looked at the Doctor, then back to Cleopatra, before both women exploded into giggles. The Doctor sighed good-naturedly. It was all too clear that he was being teased.

Suddenly, the door to the chamber opened and a man entered. He was in his late fifties, completely bald and had a serious, almost intense, face. He clutched at his dark robe as he approached Cleopatra and bowed deeply. "My Queen, I honour thee."

Cleopatra gave a little sigh. "Doctor, Katherine, this is Merritet - advisor to my court."

**5.**

Merritet bowed before the Doctor and Katherine, his hand over his chest. "My lord; my lady," he said with a rich, deep voice

Katherine nodded graciously in return and the Doctor smiled. "Nice to meet you Merritet."

The court advisor studied the two time travellers closely and the Doctor saw at once that the man was no fool. A keen intelligence burned behind those intense, dark eyes. "You have travelled far Doctor?"

"You could say that," replied the Doctor casually.

"From Rome?"

"Oh, much, much further."

"The Doctor is an old friend to us Merritet," interrupted Cleopatra, "and this time he has brought the lovely lady Katherine to Alexandria."

Merritet turned to regard Katherine. "You are a stranger to our city my lady?"

Katherine nodded. "Yes."

Meritet paused. "Then, with my Queen's leave, perhaps I suggest you take a tour of the Alexandria?" he said slowly. "Our city is the most beautiful in all the civilised world."

"Oh could we?" Katherine gasped with delight.

"What a wonderful idea," said Cleopatra, clapping her hands with glee.

Merritet cleared his throat and looked at the ground, something clearly on his mind. "My Queen," he began, "if I could speak with you?"

Cleopatra rolled her eyes. "Really Merritet! You suggest something marvellous and then want me to stay here and talk to you!"

"I'm truly sorry my Queen."

The Doctor had been watching Merritet closely and realised what he had intended by the suggestion. He suddenly got to his feet. "Yes, well," he said breezily, "why don't we wait outside for a moment?" He pulled a surprised Katherine to her feet. "Come on my lady."

Cleopatra raised an eyebrow as the Doctor and Katherine, two Nubian slaves behind them, walked out of the door. As it closed behind them, she turned back to Merritet petulantly, her hands on her hips. "Well?"

Merritet paused before replying. "I need more slaves for the site my Queen."

Outside the door, the Doctor stooped down to tie his shoe laces and pulled a surprised Katherine down to crouch on the marble floor next to him.

He grinned up at the two Nubian slaves that stood a respectable distance behind them. "Sorry, sorry." Then he lowered his voice and leant in towards Katherine who looked at him in bemusedly. "Go with Cleopatra," he hissed, "you'll be safe with her."

"Why? What about you?"

"I noticed something back there. I'm going to stay and do some snooping around!"

**6**.

Katherine leant back on the soft cushions inside the litter and smiled. This was definitely the way to see the city. The silk drapes that surrounded the compartment kept away the harsh heat of the Sun and periodically they would stop so that the slaves carrying the litter could be changed. When this happened, another two slaves would hurry forward and cool them with enormous feathered fans.

The tour of Alexandria had taken them at least two hours and Katherine had marvelled at the amazing architecture, from intricate mosaics to tall stone turrets. Now they were heading across to the docks for a final stop before returning to the Palace.

Katherine glanced across at Cleopatra. The Queen had seemed a little distracted when they had first started off and her usual charm and warm smile were absent. It hadn't taken her long to regain it however, and the two women were soon laughing again as they toured Alexandria.

Cleopatra noticed Katherine's glance and smiled wickedly as she sipped at a goblet of wine. "A pity the Doctor was taken suddenly ill?"

"Oh, sometimes he can be a poor traveller," Katherine replied airily before smiling demurely at the Queen.

Cleopatra laughed mischievously and nodded. "Indeed! Men often are!"

The Doctor poked his head around the corner carefully to check that Merritet was still in sight and then ducked back again to wait for a few moments. Trailing the advisor through the palace had been difficult to say the least. Slaves and other servants had not given him a second glance and just bowed or stood respectfully as he had passed. Other attendees had given him curious glances that he had returned with his usual confident smile.

But there were others, including some palace guards, which had given him more suspicious glances. So much, he mused, for using his psychic paper in Ancient Egypt. He glanced down at it as he waited for Merritet to go a little further. "I wonder if they see hieroglyphs?" he muttered.

He stowed the paper away in his pocket - time for him to follow Merritet again.

The Doctor turned the corner and almost bumped into the four palace guards that stood in front of him. "Excuse me," he grinned, "I was just….."

He went to walk past them and they moved to block his way again.

The Doctor looked at the hostile faces of the guards as they drew their swords


	2. Chapter 2

Prologue

**7.**

The Royal litter and procession of guards and slaves continued their tour of Alexandria.

Inside the litter, Cleopatra leant towards Katherine, a playful smile on her lips. "I know the Doctor well. His charm and wisdom are both great, and many women would desire to be his consort. But I detect no interest from you?"

Katherine realised at once that Cleopatra was once again fishing for information about the Doctor and her own relationship with him, but she refused to take the bait. Katherine shook her head. "I was married. There was only one man in my life," she paused and looked away, "before he died."

Cleopatra saw a flicker in the usual sparkle of Katherine's brown eyes. "I'm sorry," she said gently.

"But what about you?" Katherine asked brightly and changing the subject. Then she remembered her manners and whom she was addressing. "If you don't think it impertinent?"

Cleopatra laughed and shook her head. "Ah, marriage. That would be so convenient. Perhaps one day? Being a Roman consort is much more difficult these days. And being a mother."

Katherine was taken aback. "A mother? I didn't realise?"

The Queen nodded. "Caesarion in now in his tenth year, and the twins - Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene - both three."

"And their father?"

Cleopatra raised her eyebrows. "Caesarion's father was Julius Caesar. He's been dead five years now."

Now it was Katherine's turn to be sorry but Cleopatra just shrugged before Katherine could say anything. "Alexander and little Cleopatra's father is Mark Anthony. He has sent word that he is returning to Alexandria soon, especially if the conflict with the Parthians escalates into war. But a Roman General's life is not for family." She chuckled nonchalantly. "Especially if that General already has a wife in Rome!"

Katherine's confused expression made Cleopatra laugh again and she cupped the other woman's chin in her hands. "Oh, Katherine I can see I have shocked you. Your innocence is like a child!"

Katherine opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. Despite all the experiences of being with the Doctor, she suddenly realised with a shock that she still had faith in true love and the love for her dead husband. Was Cleopatra right and that love was more complex? Was she so innocent? "I'm sure it must be difficult for you," she managed to stammer eventually..

Cleopatra smiled and shrugged again. "Life – and politics – goes on."

**8.**

The Doctor took a step backwards away from the guards as they advanced, knowing that he wouldn't be able to convince them that he was harmless. He guessed that Merritet had realised he was being followed and had ordered him detained – or possibly worse.

The Doctor smiled and raised his hand in greeting before looking over the guards' shoulders. "Ah, there you are Merritet!" The guards hesitated and turned around but the palace corridor behind them was empty. With an angry growl they swung back to see the Doctor haring away down the corridor as fast as he could.

The Doctor skidded around a corner, his hearts hammering in his chest as he glanced behind him. The guards had all drawn their swords and were running towards him, their expressions murderous.. They knew the palace far better than he did, and it was only a matter of time before he found a dead end or another set of guards. Then his eyes fell on some large stone statues of Egyptian gods that lined the corridor ahead.

As the guards turned the corner into the hall of statues, there was no sign of the Doctor.

With an angry curse, the guard commander sent his men off in different directions.

After a moment, the Doctor's head poked out from behind a large obsidian statue of Anubis and he grinned. But as he pushed himself out of the small space where he had hidden, there was a click from the wall behind him. Much to his amazement, a small section of the wall slid back to reveal a dark tunnel beyond.

The Doctor peered into the shadows, his eyes bright with interest. "A secret passage! Well, well………"

The litter that carried Cleopatra and Katherine came to a halt and the Queen drew back the drape that surrounded it. Katherine looked through the curtain and gasped. "What is it?"

They had reached the harbour. Standing on the edge of the harbour was one of the tallest towers that Katherine had ever seen. It was at least five hundred feet tall and constructed from large blocks of light coloured stone. The tower was made up of three stages: a lower square section with a central core, a middle octagonal section and at the top, a circular section..

Cleopatra smiled proudly at Katherine's amazed expression. "This is the Pharos -one of the wonders of Alexandria!"

**9**.

"It's incredible!" breathed Katherine, stepping out of the litter and walking a few steps towards the tower.

"The Pharos guides the ships that land in our harbour and sends a warning to enemy ships that intend to attack."

"It does look like a lighthouse," agreed Katherine with a nod.

Cleopatra's expression became puzzled. "What is a lighthouse?" she asked.

Katherine turned and gave a small, embarrassed smile. "Never mind." She noticed that around the base of the tower was a lattice of wooden scaffolding and dozens of slaves scurried about repairing what looked like recent damage. "What happened?"

"A storm," sighed Cleopatra. "We work to rebuild the tower, but they are so slow. Some have been killed in accidents and others have disappeared. They claim," Cleopatra lowered her voice, "that the Pharos has been cursed by the Gods!"

The Doctor walked carefully along the dark tunnel and dug his new sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. One of the first things he had done after they had found the TARDIS on Lanos III was to build a new model to replace the screwdriver that the Ice Warriors had taken from him on New Mars.

He held it in front of him and the tunnel was lit by its pale blue light as he reached a set of stone steps that led down in front of him.

The steps seemed to descend for thirty feet or more, always curving around, before they finally ended in a heavy wooden. The Doctor switched off the sonic screwdriver and listened at the door, but heard nothing. Gently, he turned the large circular handle of the door and pushed it open.

The Doctor stuck his head through and looked around. He had found some kind of prison. The chamber was lit by a burning brazier on left wall. Along the right wall were several small cells, their fronts made from rusty metal bars from floor to ceiling. On the far wall was another heavy wooden door.

The Doctor walked slowly into the room. It appeared that the cells were empty but as he almost reached the far door, there was a croak from the last cell.

An old man dressed in a filthy brown tunic and with a long, straggly white beard, stumbled out of the shadows and up to the metal bars. He held up a painfully thin arm and hand towards the Doctor.

"Help me please!"

**10.**

Katherine raised her eyebrows and turned to face Cleopatra who still reclined in the Royal litter. "Cursed?"

Cleopatra nodded gravely. "Merritet wants more slaves here."

Katherine pursed her lips, remembering the Doctor's suspicions of the advisor back at the palace. "Why is there such a rush?"

But before Cleopatra could reply there was the sound of running feet. Katherine turned back to see several figures, all of their faces obscured by white and gold hoods, had appeared from out of a nearby building and were running towards them.

The slaves threw down their fans in fear and shrank back whilst the few guards that Cleopatra had brought with them reacted instinctively and instantly closed ranks around their Queen, drawing their swords from their belts.

The hooded attackers reached them in seconds, but Cleopatra was not their target.

Katherine, a little way from the litter, had only time to scream before two of the hooded figures had grabbed her. She struggled and twisted against them, but they were too strong. One of them clamped a hand over her mouth and she bit down hard on it. The attacker pulled his now bleeding hand away with a curse and instead grabbed her firmly underneath her chin.

The other attackers rushed in between the litter and Katherine to stop the Royal Guards advancing, and fought a defensive position with knives and daggers against the guards' swords.

"You fools!" screamed Cleopatra at her guards from the litter. "Save Katherine!"

The Royal guards hesitated. They knew that the safety of their Queen was a priority, but to disobey her meant instant death. Some pushed forwards against their hooded attackers whilst the remainder stayed in protective formation around the litter.

But the advancing guards were too slow.

Katherine had been picked up and was being carried away down the street by her two assailants. With one last scream, Katherine disappeared around a street corner and was gone.

The rest of the hooded attackers, their mission now successful, instantly scattered in all directions.

Two of the Royal guards gave chase, but the attackers were like rats and scurried away into buildings, along streets and down steps as they went to ground.

After a few seconds there was no sign of them.

Cleopatra looked about helplessly, her expression a mixture of fury and despair.

How could she tell the Doctor that Katherine had been captured whilst under her protection?

**11**.

The Doctor dashed across the chamber to the imprisoned old man. "Hello, are you alright?"

The man snorted indignantly. "Oh yes, fine," he snapped. "How do you think I feel?"

The Doctor smiled wryly. "Sorry, stupid question. I'm the Doctor." He got out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the rusty lock on the metal bars. "Let's see if we can get you out of there."

There was a brief whine as the tip of the screwdriver glowed a brilliant blue and the lock clicked open. With a satisfied smile, the Doctor pulled the gate of the cell towards him with a rusty groan.

The old man staggered from the cell and grasped the Doctor by the arm with spindly fingers. "Thank you Doctor," he wheezed, "my name is Ptolemy."

"Nice to meet you Ptolemy. Good name Ptolemy – like the Pharaoh!"

Ptolemy smiled, showing cracked and jagged teeth. "My friends used to call me Little Pharaoh Doctor!"

"Really, why was that?"

Ptolemy stood proudly, puffing out his chest. "Because I used to rule the Library!"

The Doctor's eyes twinkled. "You're a librarian?"

"A historian Doctor," corrected the old man huffily, "a historian in the greatest and biggest library of the world – the Royal Library of Alexandria!"

"The Library of Alexandria - well that's fantastic! Pretty big too; not the biggest though. I know a whole planet they turned into a library!" The Doctor saw the incredulous look on Ptolemy's face. "Anyway, enough about that; who would want to lock a librarian in a cell? Lovely people, librarians!"

Ptolemy's expression darkened. "It was Merritet!"

The Doctor nodded slowly. "Yes, I thought it would be him -why Ptolemy?"

The old man paused and the Doctor could see fear creep into Ptolemy's eyes. "Because of what I discovered Doctor."

"And what was that?" whispered the Doctor.

Ptolemy paused again and looked around the empty room as if expecting something to jump out of the shadows at any moment. "There's something evil buried under the Pharos!"

The Doctor's eyes widened with interest and his tone became serious. "Really? What kind of 'evil'? How do you know?"

But Ptolemy shook his head. "We shouldn't stay here any longer. Merritet or some of his guards could come back at any moment. They'd kill us without a second thought." He grabbed the Doctor's arm again and pulled him towards the far door. "Get me back to the Library and I'll show you."

**12**.

Merritet strode through a subterranean stone corridor lit by flaming torches that were held on the walls by ornate brackets. He stopped as he heard the sound of footsteps hurrying up the tunnel towards him and reached into his belt for a long curved knife.

As the figures appeared in the light of the torches Merritet relaxed and smiled cruelly. His men had been successful in their mission.

Two men, their faces covered by gold and white hoods, carried a struggling Katherine between them.

Katherine's eyes widened in fear as she saw the court advisor, although it was no real surprise. "Merritet," she spat, "Queen Cleopatra will have you put to death for this!"

Merritet nodded. "She would indeed," he sneered, "but soon she will be my puppet!"

Katherine stared at Merritet defiantly, still struggling in the grip of the two hooded men. "The Doctor will stop you. He won't let anything happen to Cleopatra!"

Merritet shook his head dismissively. "There is nothing he can do now."

"Don't be so sure!"

"Enough!" shouted Merritet angrily. "My patience is at an end!" He reached into the folds of his dark robe and pulled out a glass phial. Then he lunged forward like a snake and grabbed Katherine's chin before crushing the glass phial in his other hand. He thrust the remains of the phial under her chin and suddenly Katherine gasped. Her eyes glazed over as she breathed in the vapours from the phial and her head fell forward onto her chest.

One of the figures holding Katherine took of his hood to reveal the man who had watched the arrival of the TARDIS in the marketplace. "What shall we do with her Master?"

"You have done well Hasan," replied Merritet. "Certainly better than that fool Kasim that let the Doctor escape in the Palace." He paused and held Katherine's lolling head in his hands. "She has star-fire in her soul. She will help Khepri return to us, as it has been foretold."

Hasan lowered his head in reverence. "Khepri will return!" he intoned.

"You will be rewarded Hasan; all the faithful will be rewarded," Merritet proclaimed feverishly. "Now, go and prepare her for the ceremony."

Hasan and the other man bowed and carried Katherine away down the tunnel.

Merritet stared upwards, his mind focussed on the return. "The servant of Khepri shall feed on her flesh and devour her soul!"

**13**.

The Doctor gently pulled the door open at the end of the tunnel. "Is this it?" he asked Ptolemy who stood next to him, and the old man nodded. The Doctor glanced back up the dark tunnel behind them. They had travelled underground for almost an hour now, through the twisting and branching tunnels. Some had been lit; others in darkness, but Ptolemy had known the way almost instinctively. "We were lucky we didn't meet Merritet or his mates I suppose."

Ptolemy grunted and pushed past the Doctor through the door. "This comes out in one of the lower vaults of the Library. Some of the scrolls and tablets are there." The old librarian poked his head through the open door, paused to check that there was nobody on the other side, and then shuffled off excitedly.

"Yes, about that," started the Doctor following behind, "perhaps an explanation would be good about now?" He wasn't used to not knowing the full picture and realised ruefully how infuriating it could be for his companions. "What scrolls and tablets exactly?"

The vault was dark until the Doctor lit one of the wall-mounted torches with his sonic screwdriver. The torch burst into flame and illuminated a rectangular stone chamber about forty feet long and twenty broad that was lined with wooden shelves along the walls and down the middle. At the far end of the room was a stone staircase that led up to another door and presumably another larger chamber in the Library.

Ptolemy seemed to ignore him and was checking through the scrolls and tablets that littered the shelves as well as small holes dug into the walls. He gave a small cry of excitement as he picked up and unravelled a cloth scroll before tucking it under his arm. "Merritet was a scholar as well. Used to spend an age in these old vaults," began Ptolemy. "Clever too; I admired him for that." He bent down to one of the lower holes in the wall of the chamber and stuck his arm in almost to the shoulder. "Then I found some older tablets down here, thought he might want to examine them too, so I showed him." Ptolemy smiled as he pulled his arm back and with it a small cloth bag from deep within the hole in the wall. "He was like a man possessed! Locked me up and questioned me for days before you got here! But," Ptolemy whispered with a sly wink, "I'd found other ones too and hidden them first!"

The Doctor put on his glasses as the old man spread the scroll on a small wooden bench and emptied the contents of the cloth bag so that small tablets spilled out.

The Doctor picked up the tablets that were carved with strange runic hieroglyphs and then examined the scroll. He ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath at what he saw. "Oh, no!" he muttered.


	3. Chapter 3

Prologue

**14.**

The ship came out of warp drive with a blinding flash of multi-coloured light as it re-entered normal space. It was oval in shape and almost completely dark green in colour.

It was also badly crippled with blackened, scorched patterns over the hull, and one engine that billowed smoke from its housing.

In the cockpit, the pilot struggled frantically with the controls as the readings entered critical. The pilot was an insectoid alien with a shiny green carapace for a head. Two small eyes darted quickly around the panels in front of him, whilst his two antennae quivered nervously.

He knew that he was already dead. He had mistimed the solar flare badly from his last destination and now that last job, surveying the jungle planet for specimens, would cost him his life.

The pilot studied some of the readouts from the panels. There were planets in this system. A spark of hope flickered in his soul. Perhaps he could manage an emergency landing?

His spindly claws punched some of the controls and a display flashed with alien readings.

The third planet from the sun could support life!

The pilot pushed a lever forward and the ship lurched to the left. He looked up from the view-screen to see the small blue and green planet approaching.

Suddenly an alarm klaxon sounded and the spaceship started to list. The pilot checked the readings to discover one of the warp engines had misfired. He wasn't going to make it.

The pilot clicked his mandibles irritably and then his claws started punching more controls. If he had to die here, then at least he could save some of the cargo. But nearly all the pods had fused and even as the pilot pressed the release codes, they just flashed red and exploded.

Only one pod returned a green light.

A massive explosion ripped the spaceship to pieces as a single stasis pod fell from it and tumbled towards the planet below.

"What is it Doctor? Can you know what they mean?" muttered Ptolemy as they studied the scrolls and tablets on the table in front of them. "Some of the symbols mean nothing to me."

The Doctor took off his glasses and looked down worriedly at the old librarian. "Something alien landed here Ptolemy. Thousands of years ago, something landed in Egypt."

"But what?"

"Something that could destroy the entire world!"

**15**.

Cleopatra stormed into the Palace, her beautiful face flushed with anger. She looked around the chamber where she had received the Doctor and Katherine earlier that day. To anger her even further, the Doctor was nowhere to seen.

The Queen turned irritably to one of her attendant slaves. "Where has the Doctor gone?" she snapped

The slave cast his head to the ground. "I do not know my Queen," he whispered.

"What about Merritet?"

The slave almost shook with fear. "I have not seen him."

Cleopatra's dark eyes flashed angrily and with a scream she hurled a platter of fruit from where another slave held it so that it crashed to the floor.

In the old vault under the Library, Ptolemy looked up at the Doctor. "Destroy the world!" he whispered hoarsely. "A curse of the Gods?"

The Doctor nodded and scratched the back of his neck. "Something like that." He pointed to one of the symbols on the tablets that resembled a beetle. "What's that mean?"

Ptolemy peered closer as the symbol was old and worn. "It's a scarab. It represents the Sun God Khepri."

"Khepri?" repeated the Doctor slowly, his mind racing. He had heard that name before on his travels. Then his eyes widened. "Khepri!" he shouted, "yes of course!" His mind raced. "That's what's under the Pharos – a Kheprian stasis chamber. If that thing is opened……"

Ptolemy swallowed nervously. He didn't understand a lot of what the Doctor was saying, but he knew that the Gods could destroy the world as easily as he could smash an egg. "What's inside?" he whispered.

The Doctor was already collecting up the tablets and scroll and stuffing them back into the cloth bag. "I'm not sure, but I have a nasty suspicion. Come on, we've got to find Katherine and Cleopatra!"

Katherine's head swam as she breathed in. She tried to lift her eyelids to see where she was, but they felt like lead. She took another breath and shook her head slowly, moving it up from where it lolled on her chest. Her eyelids fluttered open and she saw a flame dance in front of her. Behind the flame was darkness.

She tried to move her arms but they felt heavy too. Then she realised that they were bound behind her back and that she was tied to something.

Katherine's eyes snapped open and she saw what was in front of her

And she screamed.

**16**.

The worried silence inside the Palace Chamber was broken as the Doctor burst in followed by a wheezing and out of breath Ptolemy. Seeing Cleopatra, the Doctor dashed towards her. "Queen Cleopatra, we need your help! We need to….." He broke off and looked quickly around the chamber. "Where's Katherine?"

Cleopatra paused from where she had been pacing up and down and turned to face the Doctor, her smile of relief almost instantly replaced with worry. "She's been captured Doctor. I'm so sorry."

The Doctor frowned. "What do you mean captured? By who? Where?"

"By hooded bandits," Cleopatra sighed. "They attacked us by the Pharos and carried her away."

"The Pharos, of course," shouted the Doctor. He turned to Ptolemy. "It must have been Merritet's men!"

Cleopatra shook her head. "Merritet? What's Merritet got to do with this?"

The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "Who else would know that you would be there on an 'unofficial' visit?"

Cleopatra just stared at him in disbelief. "But why?"

"Because Merritet is up to something," replied the Doctor. "The fact that Katherine was kidnapped next to the Pharos confirms it."

"What's at the Pharos?" asked Cleopatra, shaking her head with confusion.

"It's what's underneath. That's what I and Ptolemy here think." He grinned at the Queen. "Have you met my friend Ptolemy? He's a librarian - Merritet locked him up too!"

The old librarian threw himself to the floor, his head bowed. "Your Majesty."

Cleopatra barely spared Ptolemy a glance before turning back to the Doctor. "Tell me what is happening Doctor!" she ordered.

"Alright," the Doctor agreed and took a deep breath. "Merritet is the high priest of the Cult of Khepri."

"The Sun God?"

"Well, Sun God to you; race of insectoid alien zoologists to me. Anyway," the Doctor gabbled on, "as soon as you introduced us to him I thought there was something not quite right."

"Why?" asked Cleopatra.

The Doctor smiled. "He doesn't blink, well, at least not often. Sure sign of some telepathic influence and the Khepri hive minds certainly generate a low telepathic field." He caught the Queen's blank look. "There's something under the Pharos – something very dangerous – and Merritet wants to release it."

Cleopatra nodded slowly. "Merritet was so insistent that the repair work on the Pharos is completed."

"Exactly, and we've got to stop him before it's too late!"

**17.**

Merritet looked up at sky and shielded his eyes from the harsh glare of the Sun. It would soon be time for the ceremony to begin as it had been promised. Khepri would return Egypt and all who opposed Him would perish. Merritet leant over the top parapet of the Pharos and watched in satisfaction as the final slaves were led away, their work now complete. Everything had been prepared. All of the enormous shields had been positioned down the central shaft, their concave surfaces polished beyond measure. He glanced across at the first shield strapped to its wooden scaffold and angled upwards towards the Sun.

Merritet smiled in malicious satisfaction. Now it was time to prepare the sacrifice.

The Doctor, Cleopatra and Ptolemy crept along a stone tunnel. Ptolemy led the way carrying a flickering torch. They paused at a junction as Ptolemy glanced both ways.

"Why didn't we bring any of my Royal guards?" hissed Cleopatra, pulling irritably at the blue silk shawl that she wore over her head.

"Couldn't risk it," whispered the Doctor putting the silk back across her face. "If Merritet saw loads of guards moving in he might kill Katherine out of hand rather than waiting for the correct time. I don't want to show our hand too soon, so it's better if your identity remains a secret as well!"

Ptolemy started down the tunnel on the right. "It's this way."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows in respect. "It's a good job you know the layout of these tunnels."

"One of the advantages of being a Librarian in Alexandria, Doctor," cackled Ptolemy. "We should be at the Pharos soon."

"And what then?" asked Cleopatra, stepping gingerly along the tunnel, her nose wrinkling in disgust at the foul stench that wafted through the sir.

"Oh, the usual," replied the Doctor breezily. "You know; rescue Katherine from certain death, save the world, that kind of thing. Ah!"

They all stopped as the tunnel curved but the Doctor pulled Cleopatra and Ptolemy back before the two hooded guards that stood in front of a door at the end of the passage could spot them.

The Doctor blew out his cheeks. "I should have realised Merritet wouldn't take any chances." He braced himself to walk forward but Cleopatra put a hand on his chest.

"Let me," she smiled seductively as she covered the lower half of her face with the silk shawl. "I'm sure I can ……distract them!"

**18.**

The cult had assembled again in the underground temple and stood around the pit that was edged with hieroglyphs. All wore the white tabards and white and gold hoods over their heads.

Merritet however was not wearing his hood and his eyes gleamed with triumph as he cast a powder into the basin before the huge beetle statue. As the powder reacted with the flame, more pungent fumes filled the temple and the cult began a low guttural chant.

Merritet bowed before the statue. "Great Khepri, we offer you this Maid of Starfire."

He turned and walked towards the edge of the pit and looked down.

Tied to a pole in the centre of the pit, her hands behind her back, was Katherine.

The Doctor examined the wall in front of them that was covered in complex hieroglyphs. "This must be it," he muttered, "this must be where it is." He clicked his tongue in thought. "This must be the key. Think Doctor, think!"

Ptolemy shuffled forwards and held up the flaming torch, peering closely at the symbols. "These are very old Doctor, centuries old."

"But can you read them?" asked Cleopatra.

Ptolemy nodded with a proud smile and bowed his head. "I am one of the Librarians of Alexandria my Queen; my life has been devoted to study."

"Then stop nattering and get on with it," snapped the Doctor, "we haven't got much time!"

Ptolemy gave the Doctor a venomous look but gently ran his fingers along the indented symbols and smiled before pushing at one of the representations of a scarab beetle half way down.

With a low grating sound, the stone wall slid back to reveal a chamber beyond. In the centre of the chamber was a large metal box, the size of truck, illuminated in a shaft of daylight.

The Doctor dashed forwards and brushed the dirt and dust from some kind of inspection panel to reveal alien symbols and even some faintly flashing panels.

He rubbed his chin. "This is it. A Kheprian stasis chamber carrying," he studied the panels," oh no!"

Cleopatra put her hand on his arm. "What is it?"

"It's carrying Kheprian Sun crabs - deadly predators that could strip a man's flesh in seconds."

"How many of them are in there?"

The Doctor turned to the Queen. "Millions!" he whispered. "If these are released they'll destroy mankind!"

He studied the readings further. "There's been a breach already," he frowned. "Something's escaped.…"

**19.**

Merritet looked up at the ceiling of the temple and through a small hole and to daylight beyond. To his satisfaction it was getting darker. The night in the day where the moon swallows the Sun was happening as it had been promised.

He pointed to one of the cultists that stood next to a chain and pulley. "Release the servant of Khepri so that the Sun God will have nourishment!"

The man pulled on the chain and with a low grating sound of metal on stone, a portcullis was raised inside the pit.

Katherine's eyes widened in terror as something huge in the darkness started forwards.

It was huge Scarab beetle, at least ten feet in diameter, with a glistening black carapace and enormous sharp pincers.

The cultists began chanting in anticipation.

The Doctor noticed that the chamber was getting darker and looked up the shaft. He realised at once what was happening. "It's an eclipse! Of course!" He saw the angled, mirrored shields positioned down the shaft. "The emerging Sun will be so bright that focusing it will carry enough solar energy to reanimate the Stasis chamber!"

There was a terrifying scream from nearby.

The Doctor looked up. "That was Katherine!" He turned to Ptolemy and Cleopatra. "You've got to realign those shields so that they hit here." He pointed to one of the circuits on the chamber. "If you do it'll reset the sterilising failsafe and everything in here will destroyed."

"What are you going to do?" asked Cleopatra worriedly.

The Doctor took a breath. "Rescue Katherine."

Merritet watched triumphantly as the Scarab beetle scuttled towards Katherine who struggled desperately against the ropes that tied her to the stake.

The chanting of the cultists got quicker and quicker as the Scarab was almost upon her, the enormous pincers reaching out to snap her bare neck.

Then another voice was heard.

"Aw, you've started the party without me. I love a bit of Karaoke too!"

It was the Doctor. He jumped down from the steps and walked towards the circle of cultists that surrounded the pit. "Can anyone join in?" he asked with a grin. Then the grin vanished as he looked directly at Merritet. "Let her go."

Merritet's face twisted with fury. "He has defiled the temple of Khepri," he screamed, "kill the unbeliever!"

The cult drew their curved swords and advanced on the Doctor.

**20.**

The Doctor waved the flaming torch he carried in front of him to ward off the hostile cultists.

One cultist got too close and was burnt by the flame. He dropped his scimitar, fell backwards with a cry, lost his footing and tumbled into the pit behind him.

The giant scarab beetle turned from Katherine and immediately fell upon the hapless victim, stabbing and cutting at him with giant pincers as the man screamed in agony.

Katherine screamed as well, tugging at her bonds with strength borne from absolute terror. To her surprise, they started to loosen.

The Doctor snatched up the man's fallen scimitar and expertly parried all of the cultist's blows as they attacked him.

Suddenly, the chamber was immersed in a brilliant shaft of light from the hole in the ceiling as the Sun emerged from the eclipse.

But Merritet's shout of victory was hollow as the sunlight that bounced down the shaft was suddenly diverted away from the intended target.

The Doctor grinned as he realised that Cleopatra and Ptolemy had done what he asked. "Things don't look too bright for you Merritet – the Chamber has been destroyed – it's over!" he shouted.

Then a deep rumble shook the chamber, cracking the enormous beetle statue and sending it crashing into pieces. The Doctor bit his lip. "Whoops! It's entering self –destruct mode. We've got to get out of here!"

But the cultists needed no urging and with cries of panic and fear, rushed past the Doctor and up the stairs.

Merritet however picked up a dropped scimitar and was about to leap across the pit and attack the Doctor when the chamber shook again. Merritet lost his balance and instead of leaping across the pit, landed on the edge and slipped backwards. His hands flailed out and managed to catch onto the edge of the pit.

Without thinking, the Doctor threw himself towards Merritet and grasped his hand and wrist in an attempt to pull him out of the pit.

But the advisor's wriggling legs proved an irresistible lure to the giant Scarab beetle. Merritet screamed in agony as the sharp pincers grabbed at the flailing limbs and dragged him backwards. Despite the Doctor's efforts, the huge insect was too strong and pulled the priest down into the pit.

Katherine, now free from her ropes, recoiled in horror as the beetle started to devour Merritet. She looked upwards to see the Doctor's sad face and outstretched hand and leapt up to grab it.

The setting sun turned the sky a mixture of purple and burnt orange as it sank beneath the horizon.

Cleopatra's Royal barge drifted down the Nile, the many oars on both sides moving slowly backwards and forwards. On the top of the barge, female slaves surrounded a delighted Ptolemy as he reclined on large silk cushions and drunk wine from a golden goblet. The Doctor, Katherine and Cleopatra relaxed on other cushions nearby and were being fanned by attendant slaves.

"It appears the Pharos must be repaired once again Doctor," remarked Cleopatra with a raised eyebrow.

The Doctor gave an embarrassed smile. "Yeah, sorry about that - the self-destruct on the Stasis Chamber packed a bit more wallop than I thought."

"At least it killed all the creatures," shuddered Katherine. "Including the one that nearly ate me?"

The Doctor nodded. "That one was the creature that escaped ages ago. It must've grown over the decades."

Cleopatra stroked the Doctor's arm. "Katherine tells me you fought off all the cultists to save her?" she said with a playful smile.

Katherine nodded. "Where did you learn to use a sword like that?"

The Doctor leant back on his cushion and looked up at the stars as they started to emerge in the darkening sky. "From one of Cleopatra's guard captains." He smiled. "But that was centuries ago!"

**Next Time: **The Doctor and Katherine are in London 2009 as they investigate the mystery surrounding a rock group in '**Death on Tour'.**

**The Scarab of the Nile – Confidential**

It was definitely interesting to write my first 'celebrity' historical story – a term invented by RTD for the New series.

A 'celebrity' historical is different from most of the historical stories in the Classic series (with the exception of some of the early Hartnell adventures) in that most of those stories had the famous characters from history almost 'side-stage' so that they were mentioned but never met. The Doctor often stated that he had met Leonardo da Vinci, Admiral Nelson etc, but you never actually saw them.

This all changed with Charles Dickens appearing in 'The Unquiet Dead' of course and the formula has been successfully repeated with Queen Victoria, Shakespeare and Agatha Christie.

In fact, choosing the historical character is a major consideration as in the story they generally function as allies and temporary companions. If you make the character a King or Queen, you have to be very careful (and RTD did this wonderfully in 'Tooth and Claw') that they are not too powerful and surrounded by servants and guards. That's why famous writers are good material for these stories as they are just 'common folk'. Once you start looking at monarchs and statesmen like Churchill, it can throw up all sorts of story dynamic problems.

So why did I choose, after all that, Cleopatra – Queen of all Egypt and the Nile?

Basically because it would be such a good choice! The production team went to Italy to do 'Fires of Pompeii' so I reckon a quick trip to Cairo wouldn't be out of the question. Another reason was the choice of enemies. In these stories in Seasons 1-3, all the foes were classic 'horror foes – ghosts, werewolves and witches. My initial thought for Cleopatra was of course mummies!

Now try as I might, I couldn't really get to grips with it and outdo 'Pyramids of Mars', so after a bit of research I decided to use Egyptian scarab beetles instead. A bit of research had me discover Khepri the Sun God, and all the pieces started to fall into place.

I really love using Wikipedia for research as it's so easy! There was loads of information about Cleopatra and once I started digging on the history of Ancient Egypt I discovered that Alexandria would have been the main city at the time. It was famous for its' Library plus the Lighthouse of Alexandria was a Wonder of the Ancient World. At the time of the story however (37BC), it hadn't yet become a lighthouse and was called the Pharos.

Fitting all this in meant that the story just motored along and I had to relegate an idea where the Kheprian pilot of the ship was going to become an animated corpse (as a homage to The Mummy) to just a flashback.

In terms of casting, I had an inspired idea for Cleopatra in the form of the beautiful actress Shelley Conn from BBC's 'Mistreses'. I can really imagine her having all the seductive power possible to play the Queen of the Nile! The other major player in the story was Merritet. For him I chose an old face from the Classic series, Donald Sumpter, who is a great actor perfect for this type of role.

Where next?

Get your dancing shoes on………..


End file.
